Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge God, and God will make straight your paths.” … “Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
(Proverbs 3:8, Joshua 1:9)
“Put your trust in God.” It seems like we hear that a lot in church. “God knows best… God will be there… The Lord will provide etc…” “Just trust and rely upon God and everything will be great.” These all seem to be popular Christian mantras these days. In and of themselves, these are all true statements. But trusting God can be tough. Too often, life has taught us to always hold back and not trust fully. These sayings seem to discount how difficult it is for most of us to trust God. We have all been let down by people so many times that the very idea of trusting in someone fully – without reservation – feels impossible. When we struggle with this, we also tend to feel extremely guilty because it seems like we are the only one who struggles with trusting God. So, what are we to do?
There is no easy step by step process. Re-learning how to trust takes effort and time. It is a process that happens only as we are connected deeply and share intimate experiences with someone. In essence “you can’t trust someone you don’t know.” Many of us might think we know God, but the truth is we have lots of ideas about God (formed more from mass media and gossip than we like to admit) but little intimate knowledge. So, the road to trusting God begins with shared experiences. Learning each other’s story. Discovering each other’s passions. God already knows everything about us, but how do we have these intimate experiences of God?
- Read God’s story found in God’s word (not just by yourself but with the help of others). When you do, you discover how passionate God is about being in a relationship with us.
- Pray with other people on a regular basis. When you do, you discover how faithful God is in walking along side of us and fulfilling our deepest needs.
- Find a way to help assist someone else experience God’s grace. When you do, you see how wonderful and life-giving God’s grace is. You realize how precious a gift God has given us.
- Sing God’s praises – in all that you do. The more that you do this, the more you will teach yourself to see God’s beauty and faithfulness in your life. As you praise God, you notice more and more how active God is in your life.
As we devote ourselves to these shared experiences with God, we develop intimacy with God. We know God on a deeper level, and it becomes easier and easier to fully trust God. Life becomes joyful, our burdens are lighter, and in our hearts, we know that God is with us and assisting us every step of the way.